Bowden controlling mechanism



March 1 7. 1925.

M. MAYER BOW DEN CONTROLLING MECHANISM Filed May 2, 1924 ENVENTQR SW1? ATTQRNEYQ.

Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PAT NT: oiica.

' na'rmw BAYER, or MANSFIELD, :110, Assrenoa 'ro omnns M. WALTER.

rowmm cona'aoume mxcnamsu.

Application filed lay-2,

To allc wh om. it may concern:

[Be it known that I, Ma rrnnw MAYER, a

citizen of the United States. residing at I Mansfield, State of Ohio, have-lnventedcertain new and useful Improvements 1n. Bowand which willbe positively'retained in'a.

givenadjustment, and which can be easily.

re-adjusted. Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will be apparent from the description of specific embodiments of my ining this specification.

Referring to the drawings- Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a mechanism vention shown in the drawings accompanyembodying my invention,

Fig. 2 shows a'section on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal medial sec-.

gonal view of the embodiment illustrated in ig. 1, V

Fig. 4 shows a plan view of a second embodiment of mvinvention,

Fig. 5 shows a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, 1

Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal medial section of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 7 shows a longitudinal medial section of the manually displacing plunger element illustrated in Fig. 6, together with the Bowden wire connected thereto and comprising adjustment retaining means.

Referring now to the figures in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters and particularly referring to that embodiment first shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, at 1 I show a tubular frame member having an outwardly extending angular flange 2 forming a face plate for the frame and having a spiral groove 3 formed on its interior cylindrical surface, the

i924. Serial No. 710,688.

nally threaded as shown at 4 for the reception of a retaining nut 5, said nut having an inwardly extending flanged portion 6 so asi togive the nut 55 the character of a perforated cap nut. in the nut 5 extends the Bowden wire dimating and protecting tube 8, said tube having anangularlv outwardly inclined flanged y head 9. said head 9 being clamped under the inwardly extending flange 6 ,of the nut 5 which'presses it against the end of the tubular frame member'l, and therefore securely holds, by its flanged head, the Bowden wire enclosing tube 8.

Preferably 'I'may employ a concave'perforated washer 10 betweenthe flanged head 9 of the tube 8 at the end 11 of the tubular frame member 1, the Bowden wire 12 passingthrough the perforations in such concave washer.

Disposed within the tubular member 1, I provide a Bowden wire operating piston member 13 to the end of which is secured the Bowden wire 12. Preferably the .end of the rod 13 is reduced, flattened andpierced at 14 to receive the looped end 15 of the Bowden wire. The rod 13l1as an enlarged head 16 suitably formed as shown at 17 so as to be readily grasped by the .hand of the operator of the mechanism, and providing a shoulder at 18 adapted to contact with the upper end 19 of the tube 1 so as to limit the inward movement of the rod 13 when telescoped within the tube 1 as shown in the drawings.

A recess 20 is provided in the rod 13 and disposed within this-recess a ball 21 spring pressed by a spring 22 against inwardly couve'rging walls 23 of the recess which would prevent its removal therefrom. ,The ball 21,

'however, has a portion of its outer surface adapted to project beyond the plane of the top of the recess and into the spiral groove convolutions 3 whenever the rod '13 is reciprocated within the tube 1 so as to make the ball 21 index with such groove convolutions. When so positioned, the spring pressed ball 21 entering a convolution of the spiral groove 3 will serve to resiliently hold the reciprocable rod in a given set position from which it will not be displaced by ordinary causes such as vibration, but can only be moved therefrom by a forcible operation Through the perforation 7 gitii inally ofthef apparatus.

of the rod, 13 such as by the op,erators ,gras" ing the handle 17 andlmovmg 1t lon- I The recess20 Si-provided by drillin from onesidecoftlierod'tothe interiort 1ere ofv thereafter placing the spiral spring 22 in". the recesswan'd the ball, 21, on top of the spring 22 and then bypeening over the edges of t e cylindrical recess, or. by otherwise foiuh' ng the inwardly extending upper walls thereof.

The flanged head 2 forthe tube 1 is suit- 1 ably perforated at 24 and 25 for the reoe tion of screws 26 which permit theimec anism to be secured to a fixtu'resuch as the dashboard of an automobile indicated herein at 27, said dash being perforated at'28 so as to receive the shank of the tubular element 1. 7 t

Referring now to the embodiments shown in Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive, generally the structure, is the same except that in this embodiment I may thread the exterior surface of the tube 1 as'shown at, 38 and provide a securing nut 29 and washer 30 to take the place of the screws 26 for the purpose of securing the apparatus to the dash-board 27. In such a case I may replace the flanged head 2 by a nut 28 thereby permitting the 30 making of the tube 1 in an automatic screw machine which cannot well be done with the embodiment illustrated in the foregoing V \vardly from the rod 13, and the spring'tenfigures without undue waste of metal. In this embodiment, likewise, the interior wall of the tube 1 is provided with a spiral groove, but instead of the spring pressed ball 21 coming to rest within the said groove for adjustment retaining purposes as before mentioned, I herein extend the end of the Bowden wire 12 through the opening 14; of the flattened end of the rod 13 and pass it over the rod 13 as shown particularly in Fig. 7, the extended end 30 of the wire 12 resting within a longitudinal groove 31 of the rod 13, there being an intermediate portion of the wire extension 40 as shown at 32 which is humped-rather abruptly outsion-of the wire end 30 permits this humped portion 32 to yield resiliently when the rod 13 is placed within the tube 1, but at the same time causes it to ress firmly into any of the groove convolutlons 3 with which it may at the time be indexed depending on the particular longitudinal adjustment of the rod 13 with respect to the tube 1.

Having thus described my invention in two embodiments, I am aware that'numerous and extensive departures may be made from the embodiments herein illustrated and described, butwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.' v

I cla1m: I 1. In a Bowden wire controlling mech anism, the combination with a tubular frame member of a reciprocable rod adapted for insertion within the frame member, of a Bowden wire secured to'one end of the rod member and a manually operable handle ortion for the other end of the rod men} er, the interior wall of the tubular frame being spirally grooved and a spring pressed element carried'on the rod within the tube and adapted to have a portion projected within the convolutions of the spiral groove of thetubes inner wall.

2. In a Bowden wire controlling meche anism, the combination with atubular frame member of a reciprocable rod adapted for insertion within, the frame member, of a Bowden wire secured to one end of the rod member and a manually operable handle portion for the other end of the rod mem her, the interior wall of the tubular frame being spirally grooved and a spring 'ressed element carried on the rod within t e tube and adapted to have a portion projected within the convolutions of the spiral groove of the tubes inner wall, said spring pressed element comprising a ball, said ball'being positioned within a recess in the said rod and having a portion of the ball spring pressed into any of said convolutions, which b movement of the rod, ,saidJoalI may be brought into indexed relationship.

3. In a Bowden wire controlling mech anism, thecombination with a tubular frame member of areciprocable rod adapted for insertion within the frame member, of a Bowden wire secured to oneend of the rod member and a manually operable handle portion for the other end of the rod member, the interior wall of the tubular frame being spirally grooved and a spring pressed element carried on the rod within the tube and adapted to have a portion projected within the convolutions of the spiral groove of the tubes inner wall, said spring pressed MATTHEW MAYER. 

